FUMING residents have hit out at “greedy” developers who want to knock down a historic house to build seven new ones.
Disgruntled locals in Britain’s “most expensive” city have slammed plans to demolish the £2m Victorian house.
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Homeowners in the historic cathedral city of Winchester, Hampshire, say they don’t need more “posh and pricey” homes in the area.
Developers Alfred Homes want to build seven houses on the one acre site hoping to replace it with four three-beds, one four-bed and two five-beds.
In 2021, Halifax declared Winchester the least affordable city to buy a house in in the UK – with the average home setting buyers back an eye-watering £650,000.
Furious neighbours have said the city doesn’t need more expensive homes but affordable housing for young people.
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They expressed major worries about the impact on the street’s aesthetic and character and concerns it was becoming a “little London“.
Gardens along Bereweeke Road boast the likes of bats, frogs, hedgehogs and many birds in a “fragile” ecosystem that will be disrupted.
Doctors Aisla and Ben Marshall, 58 and 59, live on the opposite side of the road, in the old headmaster’s house of Peter Symonds college which is on the same road.
“It’s such a beautiful city and it’s because it has 100-150 year old buildings,” Aisla aid.
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“It’s why we fell in love with it.”
Ben said he loved the character of the street and noticed something new on the properties every time he visited.
He admitted the approval of such plans would set a dangerous “precedent”.
Retired social worker Joss Goulder, who has lived on the road in the Peter Symonds former boarding house since 1980, said only nine Victorian houses now remain on the road.
She said: “These plans to demolish such a fine house would appear to be based on financial gain for both the owners and the developers and would do nothing to enhance the area or to help the people of Winchester with much-needed affordable housing.
“The loss of both the green space and the historic dwelling runs counter to all arguments to protect the environment, ecology, history and aesthetics.”
She added that the the road was already ‘heavily congested’ and the plans would only add to the traffic and pollution, as well as the safety of motorists and the huge number of pedestrians
“Surely there should be some way of preserving and protecting our historic city from this type of senseless destruction,” she added.
“Surely we have enough pricey posh houses in cul-de-sacs built on former green plots of land?
“We in Winchester should cherish our wonderful heritage and celebrate our good fortune in the diversity of our housing spanning so many centuries.
“I don’t object to to more development, but aesthetic and character are key – if you demolish everything you don’t get the full variety and character.
The City of Winchester Trust – which aims to protect the city’s ‘rich heritage and essential character’ – has also objected to the proposals warning of an ‘adverse impact on its established character’.
The was echoed by a Winchester City Council Urban Design Officer who said the plans were a “distinguishable departure from the prevalent character of the area” and were not supported.
It was also observed the developer’s “mock-Georgian” house designs would not be in-keeping with the area’s “strongly prevalent” Edwardian character.
Teacher Jenny Hines, who lives several doors down expressed concern at development which is “totally unsympathetic to the immediate environment and its population”.
She said: “It’s such a shame to lose that house. They are going to be big, expensive homes that don’t address the need for social housing.
“That house could be kept and turned into affordable accommodation.”
Jill Wilder, who has lived on the road for 18 years, reiterated worries about the loss of character in the area.
“They are building houses they know will sell – to people with deep pockets,” the 66 year old said.
“It’s quite worrying that developers have set their sights here and to think it’s going to happen all down the road.
“It destroys the sense of community feel and fabric of a neighbourhood.”
She admitted she felt “kind of powerless” to stop it, adding: “The housing most needed in Winchester is affordable homes for young families and people on average and lower incomes.
“Key workers and others on modest salaries are being forced out of the city as developers and landowners cash in on high land values to build excessively large and often under-occupied properties for the wealthy rather than meeting local needs.”
‘TRAVESTY’
Ross Flanigan, 39, who lives nearby, said: “What we are seeing is an increase in house prices driven by an out-flux of a pool of people moving from the city,” he said.
“Are we trying to be a London satellite, a little London in Winchester?”
He said proposals to increase it from one dwelling to seven was “ridiculous” and worried of the “terrible precedent” it would set.
“This sort of greedy infilling should be opposed and shunned.
“There is already a shortage of housing of this size and type in the local area, but a large amount of dense and semi detached dwellings that already exist.
“Approving this would be a travesty.”
Despite 48 objections, two people have supported the idea, including Debra Clayton who said: “It looks very pleasant and inviting, should bring much cheer to the area, privacy, trees and greenery work well.”
On the application’s planning statement, it said: “The architecture proposed is classical in nature, but varied, providing for seven new family homes within close proximity to the services and facilities of the city centre.”
It added that the proposal made ‘more efficient use of the land… while preserving the character of the locality, and furthermore, facilitating further development to the rear of Bereweeke Road should at any point in time in the future this come forward’.
Consultation has now concluded and a decision will be made by the planning department.
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Peter Symonds sixth form college sits at the end of the road and is one of the most prestigious in the country, boasting alumni including the likes of Olympic champion sailor Sir Ben Ainslie, England rugby star Joe Marchant and TV personality Alexa Chung.
Alfred Homes have been contacted for comment.
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